


If a Tree Falls in the Forest

by TheLastTime



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Car Ride, Happy Ending, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-30
Updated: 2016-12-30
Packaged: 2018-09-13 02:51:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9103246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLastTime/pseuds/TheLastTime
Summary: And if that particular music store happened to be an hour away and he’d asked Michael to tag along so what? Even if Luke had planned this whole thing to be alone with Michael (which he hadn’t thank you very much) it’s not like anything would happen. Luke was definitely not ready to jump into that yet, having just recently come to terms with having feelings for one of his best friends in that kind of way.or Luke decides to bring Michael to his favorite music store which of course doesn't go as planned





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! This is my first work in over three years I think. Wow that's weird to say (write?). I didn't think I'd ever write fanfiction again but this idea got stuck in my head and I had to write it. This is my first venture into writing for 5 Seconds of Summer so I hope it turned out well. Who knows maybe there'll be a part two?
> 
> Feel free to message me if you want to know more about the trigger warnings I put, I have no problem telling you the plot before you decide to read. :)
> 
> Thanks for reading!

“…And then Professor Shay called me out in front of my whole lecture class for messing up the formatting for my sources. _If you want to pass this course I advise you not to ask Mr. Clifford for help on formatting sources in APA._ ” Michael huffs blowing a strand of blonde hair off his face, “God he’s such a dick. I can’t wait to be done with his bullshit class.”

 Luke grins easily from the drivers seat, “I told you not to take it with him Mikey. He’s the biggest hardass on campus, but you were all _Luke you’re such a drama queen, he can’t be that bad. Luke I’ve got this. Luke I’m good with people I guarantee by the end of the semester I’ll have him eating out of the palm of my hand._ _It’ll be an easy A._ What about that hmm? I wasn’t aware Ds were the new As.”

Michael narrows his eyes and throws the McDonald’s wrapper that’s balled up in his lap at Luke’s head, “Shut the fuck up smartass.” Luke whines something along the lines of not throwing things at the driver. “And I don’t have a D, I have C thank you very much.”

“Oh sorry my bad.” Luke replies sarcastically, “I’m sure you’ll survive, we’ve only got 6 more days, just think, after that, we’ll have a solid 4 months of no school work.”

Michael smiles easily, stretching his arms out and putting them behind his head. “Thank God, I can’t wait to do nothing but work and sleep.”

“And party.” Luke adds.

“And party.” Michael agrees.

Hundreds of pine trees crowd the sides of the highway as Luke steers his car along the newly paved road towards the music store he had practically lived in ever since he’d learned what a guitar was. 

Luke and Michael both agreed that they desperately needed to escape from campus for the day and so here they are now, traveling along the 84 to check out guitars they couldn’t even dream of owning right now. Later that night they’ll meet up with their friends, Calum and Ashton, for a last minute study effort that will most likely end up as a jam session (as most of their attempts to “study” wind up as).           

Calum had teased Luke when he’d told him and Ashton why they couldn’t meet up earlier in the day. 

“Dude c’mon.” Calum had said.

“What?’ Luke scrunched his eyebrows together.

“You know what.”

“No? I really don’t? What’s the problem?" 

“You’re really going to drive an hour to go check out that little run down music store.”

“Yes?” Luke truly had no clue what Calum was trying to get at.

“Why wouldn’t you just go to the one in town? It’s like a 10 minute walk.”

“I’ve been going to this one since I was a kid, it’s my favorite.”

“But it’s an hour away!” 

“I know! As I just said I’ve bee….” 

“Cut the crap Luke. You just want to have an excuse to be alone with Michael for that long.” Calum gives him a look that says he knows just what Luke’s up to. 

But, honestly, Luke isn’t up to anything. He just really wants to go to the music store he grew up in, to see the worn wood floors with the rows upon rows of guitars lining the forest green walls. 

And if that particular music store happened to be an hour away and he’d asked Michael to tag along so what? Even if Luke _had_ planned this whole thing to be alone with Michael (which he hadn’t thank you very much) it’s not like anything would happen. Luke was definitely not ready to jump into that yet, having just recently come to terms with having feelings for one of his best friends in _that_ kind of way. 

So no, Luke had not planned this getaway with the intent of anything other than to escape for a couple hours to a familiar place, to share one of his favorite places with one of his favorite people. 

Luke is jostled out of his thoughts by a finger poking his cheek. “Luke. Luke. Lukeeee. Are we there yet?” Michael was sitting crisscrossed on the passenger seat, leaning over the console to invade Luke’s personal space.

“Yep we’re there! Get out.” Luke says as he continues to drive along at 65mph. 

Michael pouts, “You’re mean.” 

“Sorry princess did I hurt your feelings?” Luke risks a glance over at Michael and thinks he sees a slight pink tint creep into his cheeks.

“I take that back. You’re not mean, you’re just a dick.”

 Luke clutches his heart and feigns a wounded look, “Ouch, _The_ Michael Clifford thinks I’m a dick? How will I _ever_ survive?”

Michael holds in a laugh. He shakes his head, “Idiot.”

 Michael begins shuffling through Luke’s CD collection passing by Coldplay, Good Charlotte, and The Killers to stop at You Me at Six.

 Michael was the only one of Luke’s friends who shared his unexplainable love for CDs. The feeling of pouring over the lyrics and the sense of completion you get after listening to the whole thing from start to finish. In fact, it’s what they first bonded over.

 

*****

It had been the third week of classes and Luke had surprisingly adjusted pretty well to college life. He got up on time, did his homework before the due date, and managed to _actually_ read some of the assigned reading out of the textbook. He was pretty proud of himself; he hadn’t even been late to a class yet.

 So when he’d over slept and woke up 5 minutes before his freshman seminar class started he’d been pissed.

He shot straight up as soon as he caught a glimpse of the time on his phone, “Fuck!” He scrambled out of his bed, twisting his feet in his comforter and thumping to the floor. “Umph! Fuck!”

“What the hell are you doing?” Calum mumbled, his head smushed underneath a pillow. “I’m trying to sleep.”

“I’m gonna be late!” Luke says shoving his feet into his skinny jeans, shimmying them up to his waist.

“Chill out it’ll be fine.” Calum rolls over, “You were late all the time in high school.”

“This is different Cal! I haven’t been late yet and I’m not about to start now.” Luke jams his shoes on and grabs his backpack from the floor. “Especially not with my 200 person lecture. It’ll be mortifying to have everyone stare at me.”

“Whatever.” Luke can feel Calum roll his eyes at him even though he’s facing the wall now. Luke throws a “see ya” over his shoulder as he races out of his dorm and down four flights of stairs. 

By the time he reaches Caulkin he’s not only out of breath, but 7 minutes late to his class as well. Luke tries to collect himself the best he can as he pushes the door open. As expected he can feel the whole room turn and look at him as he steps through the door way and lets the door swing shut behind him. He keeps his eyes trained on the ground as he climbs the stairs to get to his unassigned, assigned seat. He’s almost made it through this embarrassing situation before he suddenly feels himself falling for the second time that morning. 

If someone had given Luke the option to die right then he would have taken it, gratefully. Luke quickly gathers up the various papers, notebooks, and CDs that fell out of his backpack as well as what remains of his dignity and climbs the two remaining steps to his seat. He slumps down into his seat, hoping that if he slouches down far enough he’ll disappear completely. 

Luke’s in the midst of wallowing in self-pity when he feels someone nudge his elbow. He looks up to find the boy next to him shyly smiling at him with empathy. Luke’s taken back by the subtle beauty the boy posses. With his soft features and green-blue-gray eyes Luke doesn’t know how he hadn’t noticed him before. He sat next to him for three weeks for Christ sakes! How had he over looked him for this long? 

It’s not until the boy nudges him again that he notices the folded up piece of paper in his hand. Luke, confused, takes the paper and unfolds it, finding messy handwriting inside. 

“Good to know I’m not the only one still listening to CDs.” Luke looks over at the boy sitting next to him, who’s gone back to taking notes on their lecture, before deciding to write back. 

“I practically spend all my time and money looking for new ones to add to my collection.” Luke folds the note and slides it back to the boy, who after a minute unfolds it in his lap. 

The boy smiles and hurriedly scrawls a reply then gives it to Luke, not even bothering to fold it up this time. “I’m Michael. I like All Time Low and sleeping in late” 

Luke already knows by the time he passes the note back with his name on it that he and Michael would have no problem becoming fast friends.

 

*****

Now Luke and Michael go and find CDs together, even exchanging them with each other (something only a select few have the privilege of sharing). Michael happily sings along with Josh Franceschi as the lyrics to Underdog play through the radio. Luke can’t help but laugh as Michael air drums along to the song and join in when he starts screaming the chorus. 

In that moment Luke’s not thinking about the 5 tests and 7 projects he has due in the coming weeks. He’s not thinking about whether or not he’ll pull a C in his lab. He’s not thinking about how strongly he feels for Michael and just how much that could fuck things up for him. All he’s thinking about is how great it feels to loudly sing off key with his best friend. It feels liberating and refreshing, sort of like breathing in the first breath of winter air.

It isn’t until it’s too late that Luke sees the headlights swerve into their lane, heading straight for them. All Luke can do to avoid a head on collision is swerve off the road and into the dense forest on their right. The car sails off the road and down the gentle slope of the highway, putting his car on a path straight for disaster. Luke frantically stepping on the brake doesn’t do much to stop his car from slamming head first into a pine tree.

And all Luke can remember before his vision fades to black is the sound of the tree falling on the forest floor and wondering if anyone was around to hear it.

 

*****

Luke wakes up to the sound of absolutely nothing.

Complete silence.

Luke goes to turn his head and instantly feels throbbing pain in his head along with a wetness trickling down his face. He touches his hand to the liquid and is startled to find blood staining his hand when he pulls it away.

Luke takes in his surroundings, the mangled heap his car is, the knocked down tree and remembers what just happened. Frantically Luke looks over at Michael, praying Luke’s sustained the worst injuries. He’s horrified to find that he’s not.

Michael’s slumped over to the side in his seat, a red gash running down the curve of his face from just below his eyebrow to his chin, and _God_ Luke doesn’t even want to think about what internal damage he may have.

Luke instantly tries to reach over to Michael to try to wake him but finds that he probably at the very least dislocated his shoulder.

Nevertheless, Luke pushes through the pain and reaches for Michael’s leg shaking it gently, “Michael! Michael, wake up!”

Luke grows increasingly more hysterical the longer he doesn’t respond.

“C’mon you dick this isn’t funny! Get up!” Luke’s crying at this point, scared that his best friend will never wake up. Scared that it’ll be all his fault.

Luke’s too busy trying to get Michael to respond that he doesn’t hear the noise of people crashing through the forest until they’re right at his car. 

“Sir? Can you hear me, sir?” A police officer knocks on the window with her knuckle.

“Michael, you need to get Michael out. I can’t get him to wake up. You need to get him to the hospital. Please get him out!” Luke’s yanking at Michael seat belt now, trying to get it dislodged.

“Sir calm down. Is that Michael next to you?” 

“Yes, yes please help him.” 

“What’s your name, sir?” 

“You need to get him out right now! He’s bleeding ou…”

“Sir we have back up on the way that’ll be here in minutes but right now to help Michael you need to tell me your name.”

Luke keeps his eyes on Michael, taking his smaller hand in his, “Luke.”

“Okay, Luke, I’m Officer Pallard how are you? Are there any substantial wounds you know about right now?”

Luke shakes his head, “Not for me but I don’t know about Michael he’s not waking up.” At this, Luke can feel new tears start to form.

“Back up is almost here Luke I promise we’ll get Michael out really soon.” All Luke can do is nod, scared to take his gaze of Michael even for a second.

 

*****

When back-up finally gets Michael out Luke’s a mess, babbling nonsense and screaming profanities at the firefighters for not getting him out sooner. In the back of his mind Luke feels bad, these people are doing the best they can, but it’s not good enough. Every second wasted is another Michael could be closer to death.

Luke’s still yelling at them when they take Michael out of sight, carrying him on top of a stretcher. Luke had over heard a couple of fire fighters say they’d “have to air lift him out” and “he’s in pretty bad condition” which does nothing to calm Luke’s frayed nerves.

When they finally pry Luke’s door off the hinges Michael’s been gone for 20 minutes and he’s itching to be in close proximity to him again.

Officer Pallard tells Luke that he needs to lie down on the stretcher so they can carry him back to the road to the ambulance, to which Luke responds with:

“Will they take me to the same hospital as Michael?”

“I believe so.”

Luke complies easily with their requests from then on, desperate to know what’s going on with Michael.

 

*****

Luke is going out of his mind.

He’s been at the hospital for a four whole hours now and no one’s been able to tell him anything relating to Michael’s condition. He has his head in his hands, about to break down again when Officer Pallard steps in room.

She clears her throat, “Luke?” 

“Yeah?”

“Did a doctor look you over?”

He nods, “I’ll be fine. I’ve got a concussion, a dislocated shoulder, and 3 bruised ribs.”

“How are you feeling?” Officer Pallard drags a chair next to Luke’s hospital bed.

“I just need to see Michael. Not even see him…I’d give anything just to be able to hear that he’s okay.”

“What if I told you, you could see him right now?”

Luke hesitantly looks up at her through his fingers, “Seriously?” 

Officer Pallard stands up, “Come with me.” She nods her head towards the door.

Luke hurriedly climbs off the bed, wincing at the pain in his shoulder and ribs, eagerly following her out the door and down the hall. After taking 2 right turns they stop in the middle of the hall. 

Officer Pallard smiles gently, “Go in I’ll wait to take you back.”

Luke’s so anxious that he forgets to say thank you to her before disappearing through the white sheet that blocks Michael from his view.

And there’s Michael.

Lying still and silent on a hospital bed identical to the one Luke has in his own room. Luke carefully sits on the bed in the space between Michael’s legs and the edge of the bed. Seeing Michael like this suddenly brings Luke’s world far too close to the edge. The edge of heartbreak and remorse and anger and blind self-hatred. 

How could he do this to Michael? He was his _best friend._ He was in _love_ with him. Luke couldn’t help but think that if he could have only steered the car a little more to the left he could have spared Michael. Maybe it’d be him lying there with only the subtle rise and fall of his chest to tell someone that he was still, in fact, alive. 

Luke picks Michael’s hand up, rubbing his thumb over his knuckles. “I’m sorry Mikey. I should have paid more attention, I was just too busy watching you. Please come back to me.”  

Luke stays in that position for another 30 minutes before Officer Pallard comes in to take him back to his room.

 Luke feels more uneasy having seen Michael. Maybe ignorance is bliss.

 

*****

Calum and Ashton make it to the hospital before either Luke’s or Michael’s parents do. Luke hears them before he sees them.

“Let me through we’re as good as brothers, I’ve known him my whole life.”

“Cal?” Luke peaks his head out of his room where he sees Calum wildly gesturing to the nurse, feverishly trying to get her to grant them access to Luke’s room.

Calum’s whips up at the sound of his name, his face relaxing. “Luke!”

Calum rushes over to Luke and gently hugs him. Luke melts into the embrace, tucking is head down into the crook of Calum’s neck.

“Don’t ever do that to me again. You scared the shit out of us!” Calum lets go and Ashton takes his spot, hugging Luke loosely.

“He means it, I don’t think I’ll be able to hold him back from beating your ass if we get a call like that again.” Ashton says as he lets go of Luke.

Luke laughs. “I’ll try my very hardest.”

After increasingly annoyed stares from some of the nurses for blocking the hallway Luke, Calum and Ashton move into Luke’s room. It’s not until Luke’s settled back on the bed that Ashton asks the unspoken question hanging in the room.

“I know Cal and I want to know what happened but that’s something you can tell us later when you’re ready to. Have you heard anything about Michael?”

Luke swallows, “They haven’t really told me much. I’ve seen him and…he looks so broken Ash. Laying there still, in this cold little room, with machines all around him. I just want to know if he’ll be alright, if he’ll wake up.” What Luke doesn’t say is that he wonders if Michael will ever forgive him but Luke thinks Calum and Ashton understand even though it goes unsaid.

“It’ll be okay Luke.” Calum says from where he sits on the left side of Luke. “It’ll take more than a dumb car accident to take Mikey out.” He rubs Luke’s back reassuringly.

Luke wishes he could believe that as much as Calum seems to.

 

*****

Luke is released from the hospital 2 days later with strict instructions on how to best treat his injuries. It doesn’t much feel like Luke’s been released from the hospital as he’s there everyday anyways sitting with Michael. The nurses practically have to call security to get Luke to leave at the end of visiting hours.

Luke goes like clock work to Michael’s room showing up at 11:30am and leaving at 9:15pm, praying that Michael will show signs of waking up soon. Michael’s doctor had reassured Luke and Michael’s parents that he had a very good chance of waking up, his brain was active, but there was a possibility that he may never wake up.

That slim possibility is what keeps Luke up at night.

 

*****

After 11 long days of hearing nothing but “We haven’t seen any changes good or bad” they finally hear some good news.

Luke’s taken to holding Michael’s hand while visiting him, wanting something to ground him. Something to remind himself that Michael still has a fighting chance. It’s when he’s tracing patterns into the back of Michael’s hand with his thumb that he feels Michael squeeze his hand.

Luke nearly jumps out of his skin. “Michael?”

Michael’s name hangs in the air for a couple minutes as Luke waits to see if he’ll do it again. Luke’s about to chalk it up to his mind playing a cruel joke on him until Michael squeezes his hand again.

“Michael” Luke breathes “Are you in any pain? Squeeze once for yes twice for no.” Michael squeezes his hand once and then lets go of Luke’s hand. Luke’s up and running out into the hallway calling for a nurse like a shot out of a gun, eager to do something to help Michael.

 

*****

Unfortunately, the high doesn’t last long as Michael doesn’t squeeze Luke’s hand again. It’s been 5 days and Luke can feel himself sinking lower and lower into despair. His hope beginning to break and dissolve.

Luke’s sitting on the edge of Michael’s bed again, playing with his fingers. They’re rough and calloused from playing guitar, much like Luke’s own fingertips. Michael’s fingers are shorter than Luke’s, fitting perfectly in-between the spaces of Luke’s fingers.

Luke stares at Michael’s face, admiring what he’s able to see this close-up. The little scar on his neck from the time Michael fell down the stairs after sneaking into one of the dinning halls with Luke after hours. The over grown stubble that’s taken over much of his face from the lack of up keep.

And of course the ever so slight slope of Michael’s nose that Luke’s always admired. Luke reaches the hand that isn’t entwined with Michael’s to brush against Michael’s face. Tracing his eyes, nose, the healed scar going down his face, and finally making it’s way to Michael’s lips.

Luke sighs, “I’m so completely in love with you Michael.”

Luke lets his hand slip from Michael’s face to his shoulder, staring off down the hospital hallway, allowing himself to brood until he hears an intake of breath beside him.

“Lukey?”

 


End file.
